As the Sun Sets
by Gianna Reede
Summary: Challenge Response: Hermione has been bitten...by a werewolf. She doesn't have the courage to tell anyone, except the one she ends up with every full moon. HGRL
1. Chapter 01

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters!

A/N: This fic is in response to a challenge by Lady Acacia.

* * *

Hermione absent-mindedly scratched behind her ear, tucking her hair back behind it after she was done. She let out a sigh and laid her head down on her book. For the last few weeks since the battle in the Astronomy Tower, she had been so tired during the day and so awake when the sun went down. It was ... reverse insomnia. Or at least, that's all she could think of.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Harry asked the young witch. "You've been so tired lately."

"We've all been tired lately, Harry," she said. "But you're right. Maybe I should see someone about it. I shouldn't be this exhausted all the time. And it's worse at night still. I can lay down, but I can't sleep."

"Well let's hope there is something you can get. We **need** you," Harry said, giving her arm a squeeze before he got up from the table.

Hermione groaned and closed her eyes, a wave of heat flashing over her body. She tugged on her shirt collar, not even aware someone had entered the room.

"Hermione? You ok?" asked a very tired looking Lupin.

"Hmm?" she asked, sitting up. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just been so tired lately. I think I'm coming down with something."

Lupin stared at her for a few more seconds, a curious expression wrinkling his forehead before he dismissed it and walked to sit on the other side of the table.

"Are you going out tonight?" she asked.

Lupin gave her a small smile before nodding. "Yeah, wish I could find a way out of it, but orders are orders."

Hermione's hand reached across the table and patted him on the arm. "Don't worry, it'll be all right in the end."

"Tell that to everyone out there," he said with a sigh

Hermione just let her head fall back down on her book, her eyes barely staying open.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?" she acknowledged, barely awake.

"Have you seen anyone about your illness?"

"Mmm..." was all that came out of the young girl as she fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

Remus stood up from the table, his hand running through his hair.

* * *

Hermione jumped up from her chair, a burst of energy refusing to let her stay asleep. She groaned to herself. She was hoping this would be the night she could finally get some sleep. She turned around to look at the clock and saw it was only 7 o'clock.

She stood up and stretched, feeling uncomfortabe in her own skin.

"Harry? Ron?" she called.

"Yeah?" she heard from both of them from the living room. She walked towards their voices and saw them both on the floor, a book between them.

"I think I need some fresh air. I'm gonna go out for a walk."

"Hermione, I don't think that's the best idea. You-Know-Who could-"

"I'll be fine," she said quickly, cutting Ron off. "I doubt he's anywhere around here, or any of his ..._people_."

"Just promise to be careful, ok?" Harry asked.

"I promise. I won't do anything you would consider to be brave."

Hermione turned and walked outside of the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters, looking behind her to watch it melt away from her sight as she reached the end of the sidewalk. She let out a barely audible sigh of releif as her legs started running down the street. Her feet pounded on the pavement of the road, the echoes surrounding her and adding to the noise of the blood rushing in her ears.

She began to run out of breath, but she kept running, try to calm her breathing. In through her nose, out through her mouth. Then she felt the familiar stitch in her side when she over-exerted herself. But still she didn't stop running. She had too much energy to stop. She felt like the world would explode if she stopped, so she kept running. She rounded the corner of the first street she got to, taking her into a wooded area.

Hermione looked over at the trees, making her way off the road and towards them. She ran into the woods, ignoring the scratches and scrapes the branches were giving her. She felt her head getting heavy and her skin starting to tingle, but she still refused to stop. The pressure was too much, the pain in her side was building. Her heart was about to burst against her chest. With an aguished cry, Hermione fell to her knees, her body trembling and her skin tingling more and more.

The poor girl let out another cry, this time sounding anything but human. She looked down at her hands, clenched tightly together in fists on her lap. Her breath hitched in her throat as she watched them grow longer, her nails sharpening. Then a spasm of pain rocked through her entire being. She began to panic as she felt like her skin was ripping off her bones. Another cry of pain escaped her lips before her skin ripped open, revealing the animal beneath her. The last thing she remembered was the woods darkening around her, the Full Moon the only thing in her view.

* * *

The sound of a werewolf call pricked at the hairs on his ears. He sniffed the air, pinpointing its location, then turning his body to run after it. It was the call of a new werewolf, the call of a creature that needed...a push in the right direction. He ran into the woods, the trees barely registering in his vision as he heard the call again. He stumbled upon the new werewolf in a small clearing, tearing and ripping at the clothes it had worn as a human.

She looked up at him, her yellow eyes piercing his. Oh yes, this was definitely a she, and she was very hungry. He emitted a low growl as he slowly took a step towards her. He made sure she knew he didn't mean her any harm. The young werewolf sniffed at him, her nose coming up to his neck. She sniffed down the length of his body and back up, the hostility gone from her eyes. As she finally accepted him to not be an enemy, she sat back on her haunches and howled at the moon.

He turned around and gave her a grunt, asking her to follow him. She got up and ran behind him, her speed matching his. Oh yes, she was definitely a young one as a human too. Her energy seemed to be greater than his, but he was an older werewolf. He knew not many reached his age, and for some reason, he was determined to not let this one die young. She would be a great student of his. And if he was lucky, a mate.

* * *

Hermione opened her eyes slowly, the filtering sunlight stinging them. She tried to move but her body was too sore and heavy for her to do anything more than lift her head. With a small moan she laid her head back down on the ground.

Ground? She opened her eyes all the way and found herself surrounded by trees. She sat straight up in a panic, ignoring the screams of pain her body was giving her. A cool breeze blew across her skin, making her aware of the lack of any clothing. She looked down, a flush covering her from head to toe. She looked in front of her and saw nothing. She turned to look behind and saw-

"Professor!" she yelped. The man was laying on the ground a few feet away from her, just as clothingless as she was.

Remus opened his eyes slowly, his head pounding. He hated having to turn, having to play a werewolf. It always made him feel dirty the next day. Then he registered someone beside him. He bolted up fast and looked over, making eye contact with a very red, very wild looking Hermione Granger.

* * *

Ooooh, she's in trouble now! 


	2. Chapter 02

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, that is the privilege of Mrs. JK Rowling.

* * *

Hermione's hands were shaking as she clutched the cup of warm tea to keep them warm. She was shivering, but not from the cold. She was scared, afraid, terrified of what had happened to her and there was nothing she could do this time make it right. She felt so helpless. For the first time in her life, there was nothing in a book that could solve her problem. 

"Thank you," she murmured to Lupin as he sat down across from her. They were in his house, if you could call it a house. It was more like a room that held everything and a small doorway leading to a bathroom and shower. She pulled the robe around her tighter, still wearing nothing underneath.

She remembered being too scared to even move as she heard voices coming from the woods in front of them. They were yelling about wolves getting into their live stock again. The thought that it had been her made her feel sicker than she already was. At least Lupin had the sense to wrap his arm around her waist and apparate them both inside his house.

She slowly brought the mug to her lips, losing her grip half way there and watching in slow motion as the liquid spilled out of the side as the glass plummeted to the floor, breaking into a thousand pieces upon impact. It was enough to make the tears start pouring out of her eyes, her body trembling with each fresh wave. She bent to pick up the shattered pieces, but a firm hand pushed her back into her chair and did it for her. She couldn't whisper her thanks, afraid to speak. She felt numb, frozen, unable to beleive this was reality. There had to be an explanation, there had to be a reason why this happened.

"Hermione," Remus said after he'd finished cleaning up the mess. "I need to know."

Hermione knew what he was talking about, but her mind was too clouded to even open her mouth and attempt an answer.

"Hermione," he said a little more forcefully this time, snapping her out of the trance she seemed to be in. She looked up and her eyes locked with his. He almost started to cry as he saw all the terror filled inside her shaking body that was now pouring down her face.

Remus sighed loudly and gathered the poor girl in his arms, and carried her over to his bed. He laid her down and covered her up to her chin. She just looked up at him the entire time, her eyes never leaving his face.

"Tell me it's a dream," she said so softly it startled him. "Please," she begged.

"It's just as much a dream for you as it is for me," he said, tucking the blankets in around her. "Now I want you to rest. We have to tell-"

"No!" she yelled, bolting straight up. "No, no, no, no, no," she kept repeating.

"Hermione we have to tell them. They have a right to know. They can help you through this."

"I can't," she whimpered. "I just can't. Please, don't make me tell them."

Remus wiped his face with his hands for the hundredth time that morning. "As soon as you feel comfortable telling them then, alright?" he finally said.

This seemed to calm her down enough to nod and lay back down, settling in the blankets around her. After a few minutes, she drifted off to sleep, the steady rise and fall of her chest the only movement. Remus slowly stood up, completely at a loss as to what to do. She wouldn't be able to keep this a secret very long living cooped up with people that knew what a werewolf was. And when it finally came out, everyone would point the fingers at him. He _had_ to know who turned her.

* * *

A resounding knock echoed through Remus's cabin, startling him out of his thoughts. He glanced at Hermione, still sleeping soundly. He got up slowly and opened the door, a defeated feeling creeping into his veins. 

As he opened the door he was greeted with a familiar maniacal grin. "Greyback," he said. "What brings you out here today?"

"I have been tracking a new scent," he said greedily. "It seems we have a new member to our clan," the man said as he pushed the door the rest of the way open. His eyes immediately went to the girl sleeping on the bed in the corner. As he walked over to her, his eyes widened before he started laughing. "_Her?_" he said, pointing. His eyes continued laughing as he calmed down on the outside. "She was the last one I thought I'd see here. What are you playing at Remus?"

"I seem to have stumbled upon her during the night's activities," he explained. "She was with me when we woke this morning."

"Bloody fantastic," the man raved. "A friend of Harry Potter a Werewolf. This is GREAT!"

Remus just looked at the man, trying to see what he was getting at.

"Of course we won't tell the Dark Lord that, no we won't. She'll be our little secret, yes. When the time comes, then we will show our power, we will have the power the Dark Lord doesn't. We will have a weapon to take out the famous Harry Potter," the crazed man finished as his eyes lingered on the girl in the corner. "You will take care of her for me," he suddenly stated, as if they had come to the decision together. "Teach her what she needs to know. I will be back for her when we need her."

At that, the man turned and left the rickety old house, the door closing loudly behind him. Remus jumped at the noise, and looked over at Hermione. Thankfully she was still sleeping.

With a quick 'Pop!', he apparated to the Burrow, knowing everyone would be at Headquarters this time of day. He went into the room Hermione and Ginny shared, grabbed a change of clothes for Hermione, and left. He prayed that the girl would have enough wits about her to think of a good enough reason why she was out all night and most of the day before she showed back up.

Hermione sat straight up in bed as she heard the sound of someone apparate into the house. A feeling of relief washed over her already tense body as she saw it was only Lupin. She smiled thankfully as he presented her a fresh set of clothes.

"Thank you...so much," she said quietly.

"I know how hard this can be. Feel free to shower before you go back. But I advise you, if don't want to tell them yet, have a damned good reason for being out all night or they'll all have your hide."

"I hadn't even thought about that," she squeaked, panic entering her voice. "Maybe a hot shower will help, I hurt everywhere."

"You get used to it," Remus said quietly as she walked passed him and into the bathroom, her new clothes under one arm.

* * *

Hermione's entire body was shaking as she tried to tie her shoe. 

"Here," Remus offered. He bent down and tied the lace Hermione was having trouble with. "Just calm down, take a few deep breaths."

Hermione did as she was told, trying to calm her nerves. She inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth a few times before standing up. "Thank you, I think I can...function."

"You better be able to do more than function if you're going back into that place. I know for a fact they're frantic right about now with you not there."

"I know," she said, letting out a deep breath. "I think I'm ready now."

Hermione held onto Remus like her life depended on it as he apparated them to the street in front of Headquarters. Remus gently cupped her face in his hands. "Use that Gryffindor bravery and you'll be fine."

Hermione disengaged herself from his robes and walked up to the house after whispering the command to make it appear. She knocked tentatively on the door as Remus stood behind her, his fingers crossed behind his back.

As the door was opened, all Hermione saw was a flash of robes before she was being smothered by Molly Weasley.

"Oh my goodness, we've been looking for you all day! Where have you been? Are you hurt? Hungry? Thirsty? Do you need anything dearie?"

"Molly, I think she's been through enough. And I would like some tea, if you please."

Hermione turned and gave him a silent thank you as they both walked in the door and headed towards the kitchen.

Hermione sat down at the table and graciously accepted the warm cup of tea handed to her with a smile.

"Hermione, sweetie, where were you?"

"Well, I told Harry and Ron I was going out for a walk last night. I guess I walked a little too far and ended up wandering around the woods most of the night," she said, a flush flooding her face.

"Oh that must have been dreadful! Are you ok?"

"Yeah, Professor Lupin found me near his house this morning, actually."

At this, Molly raised her eyebrow. "It was ok, the sun was already up and I was...normal."

"Well thank goodness for that."

That's when the rest of the crew poured through the front door, relief flooding over them when they spotted the bushy hair sitting at the kitchen table.

"HERMIONE!"

* * *

Oh noes! What will she do next? 


	3. Chapter 03

Disclaimer: Don't own it, only covet it.

A/N: Thank you for your reviews! They really do inspire me to write faster! Sorry about the long update time, but the Holiday Season is really kicking me in the arse this year.

* * *

Remus sniffed the air around him. He could smell something strong, something...wild. He went from room to room in the house, looking for the one person that could be making his senses go off so strongly. He finally found her in the upstairs library, looking like she was about to rip up the books she was sifting through. He knocked softly on the door, watching her jump and the look of relief go over her face as she realized it was only him.

"I told you already, there is no way out."

Hermione gave him a defeated look, but the determination in her eyes flared on.

"I brought you something," he said, walking the rest of the way into the room and over to her. He pulled a vial out of his pocket, filled with a light brown liquid. "Wolfsbane," he said. "It prevents the transformation, but nothing else." He watched her nervously take it from him, her leg bouncing up and down under the table.

"Thank you, I didn't even think about this evening."

"I know, that's why I brought it to you. I used to have Sererus make it, but it seems I am about to run out and, frankly, Potions was something I was never good at."

Hermione picked up the hint and gave him a nod. "I'll find the instructions and see what I can do for next month."

Remus gave her a sad smile before turning to leave again.

"By the way, how many nights..."

"3 total. The first is the night before the full moon, the second, tonight, is the full moon. And then tomorrow, the night after the full moon. Then it will be 26 days until it starts over again."

Hermione sighed. "Does it ever get easier? The only thing I remember last night before I...when I...well, it hurt."

"No, it will never get any better. You tend to build up an immunity to it though. Just don't think about it...think about something else. You have to seperate your mind from the pain."

"I don't understand."

Remus gave her a small smile. "I didn't expect you would. But you will, with time."

"It really does last forever, huh?"

He stood there and studied her for a moment. "You should try to think of a constructive outlet this evening. The sun will be setting soon. Take that now to get the full effect. It's not pleasant going through the night with hairy palms," he ended with a wink before leaving her to her thoughts.

* * *

"Hermione?" 

Silence.

"Hermione?" once again, a little louder.

Silence.

"HERMIONE?"

Hermione jumped up, knocking the chair she was in backwards in the process.

"Bloody hell Ron, what was that for?"

"I just thought you might be hungry," he said meekly. "I called you several times before I yelled."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't hear you," she said, walking over to him.

"Mum wanted to know if you wanted dinner. She said you haven't eaten all day."

"I haven't?" she asked.

Ron just looked at her, worry on his face. "Are you alright? You've been acting weird all day."

Before she could answer, Harry walked in. "You two coming?"

"Yeah, in a second," Hermione answered.

"Hermione, you look ill, are you ok?" he asked.

"As I was about to tell Ron, I'm fine. I just need some sleep."

"Mum said you really need to eat though," Ron interjected.

"I think I filled up last night for about 3 days," she said with a snort. She was met with two confused looks from Harry and Ron. "Nevermind, sorry. Let's go eat, huh?"

* * *

The sweat poured off her body in gallons. If anyone could have seen her, they would have thought she decided to take a shower with her clothes on. 

She turned over in her pallet of blankets and shuddered. A cold chill ripped through her as a night wind blew through Ginny's cracked bedroom window. Her body trembled with the effort of trying not to jump out of the window and just run until her heart burst. Her arms snaked their way around her chest and stomach, hoping to calm her jitters. It did her no good. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She laid there for what seemed like forever before she felt more than saw the sun rise and chase the moon away.

Suddenly her jitters were gone and the sweat started to dry on her skin. She finally fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming of yellow eyes, sheep carcasses and _his_ face.

Hermione cracked her eyes unwillingly, seeing Ginny in front of her face.

"You can't sleep in all day," Ginny informed her.

Hermione let out a grunt of annoyance before pulling the covers back up over her head to block out the sunlight. She, thankfully, heard Ginny walk out of the room. But it didn't take long for her to hear two distinct pairs of feet walking in to disturb her.

"Hermione, you never sleep in!" exclaimed a surprised Ron.

She grunted again and ignored them. She felt her covers being pulled off her head, and she protested, but it was no use. She shielded her eyes against the sun and made a sour face.

"I don't wake you two up when you oversleep," she complained.

"No, but mum is gonna come up here and drag you to breakfast if we don't do it first."

Hermione made another noise of protest before getting up and shooing the boys out of the room so she could change and go downstairs.

* * *

Hermione was vaguely aware of the disarray she was in. Her shirt was only half way tucked, her collar was up on one side, and her hair was a bushy mess. But this morning, she didn't seem to care. 

"Good morning sweetie," Mrs. Weasley began as she heard Hermione walk into the room. She turned around and almost dropped the pan she was holding, staring in silence at the young witch just like the rest of the room.

"What?" she asked as she noticed their stares.

"Dearie, are you feeling ok?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Just tired."

Not buying it, Mrs. Weasley ran over and put her hand on Hermione's forehead. "You're a bit warm. Why don't you go lay back down and I'll bring something up to you."

"Ok," Hermione mumbled before trudging back up the stairs and into bed. She didn't even bother to take off the clothes she had on. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Hermione finally woke up when she felt a weight on the bed beside her. She looked up to see Remus staring down at her, his forehead wrinkled in concern.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"You didn't take the Wolfsbane when I told you to, did you?"

"No, I actually set it down to look up the ingredients for it first, why?"

Remus sighed loudly. "When you don't take it on time you don't get the full effect, like I told you earlier. One effect being sleeping for days at a time after a full moon. At least you didn't have to go through the third night."

"Days?" she said squeaked. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Thankfully, only one. Poor Molly sent me up here to see if you were still sleeping. She's been frantic really," he said with a small smile. "You would think you were one of her own." Remus had a wistful look on his face for a moment before he looked back down at the girl. "I think you should come on down and eat something. You're bound to be starved by now"

Hermione was about to say she was fine when she felt her stomach give a loud protest to being empty.

Remus left the room and Hermione stared at his retreating form even after it had gone. She thought for a moment she could smell...worry...on him. Shaking her head and scolding herself, she got up and changed clothes.

This time when she made her appearance her hair was brushed and her clothes fit her correctly. Her entrance into the kitchen was followed immediately a rabid Mrs. Weasley checking her forehead, and prodding her face to make sure she was ok. Hermione gave Remus a reproachful glance when she heard him bite off a laugh.

"I want you to take it easy today, ok?" Mrs. Weasley was telling her. "I don't want you back up in that library. It's got a terrible draft...probably what got you sick."

"But what am I supposed to do?"

"I know. Remus, you were going into Diagon Alley today for some potion ingredients. Why don't you take Hermione. That way she can get a little sunlight."

Hermione and Remus just looked at each other across the table.

* * *

Hermione shielded her eyes from the sun as they stepped out into Diagon Alley. She walked beside Remus as he made his way through the crowd and turned into the store they needed for the Potion ingredients. 

"Here," he said, handing her a list. You pick these up while I get the Wolfsbane items."

"But-"

"They all know I'm a werewolf."

Comprehension dawned on her face. "Oh."

Hermione took the list and began to gather the ingredients. She saw Remus slip into a darkened room off to the side. She finished getting what they came for and she paid for the items and went outside to wait on her companion.

As she stood there outside the shop she leaned against the wall and stared off into space. Her thoughts wandered to her condition and how it was going to change the rest of her life. She thought about her family, her mother and her father. They would never understand anything this brutal. They accepted magic readily enough, but the fact it had caused their only daughter to transform into an untameable animal 3 nights a month was more than they could handle.

Her thoughts wandered to the Shrieking Shack and wondered if she could find someplace like that for times she couldn't take her potion. That thought made her begin thinking about her Professor. No, not Professor, she mentally chided. He hadn't been her professor for 3 years

Hermione sighed out loud. How had he handled it? With friends, she realized. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. She thought about how loyal they must have been while they were in Hogwarts, not thinking about things like Voldemort and the dark times that lay ahead of them. A sudden sympathy overwhelmed her for the shabby man that was now doing all he could to take care of her. He didn't have anything left in this world and he was still trying to get by, still trying to help.

Maybe she should tell her friends. After all, they did accept Lupin as a close friend, why would it change? Why wouldn't they still want to be around her if she was like him now. She leaned her head back on the wall and closed her eyes.

...and maybe there was more to her ex-Professor than she had realized.

Hermione smelled something in the air. She took a deep breath and her eyes shot open to see Remus walking out of the shop.

"i could smell you coming!" she said, somewhat shocked.

He just smiled at her. "You'll get used to it. It's actually one of the perks. Your senses are always...heightened. You feel things stronger than other people, smell things they can't, hear things they will never pick up."

Hermione suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her back tensed and she looked around into the dark shadows around them, her eyes finally spotting what she sensed. A pair of yellow eyes stared out of the shadows at her, and it sent chills down her spine. She finally came to her senses when she felt Remus's hand on her shoulder.

"You can sense your own kind too, although most aren't evil. They were forced into it as I was, as I presume you were." He placed his hand on her back and led her away from the shadows and into the daylight.

"Who was he?"

"That," he said with a heavy sigh," was Greyback. I supposed he's watching me, watching us."

"Why?"

"It's not every day Harry Potter's closest friend gets turned into something he can control."

* * *

o.0! NOOOO! I CAN'T LEAVE IT THERE! 


	4. Chapter 04

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: Sorry for the wait, but wouldn't let me upload my chapter.

* * *

"To be completely honest, I have absolutely no idea what he's planning. And I won't unless he feels it necessary to tell me: Remus explained to the slightly startled girl beside him. "All I know is he plans to use your position as Harry's friend to help You Know Who. But, the thing is, he wants you to be a secret right now, so I'm supposed to watch over you and, er...teach you." 

A small," Oh!" was all the girl could muster.

"Come on," he said as he led her towards The Leaky Cauldron. "We should get back before Molly starts worrying too much.

"Wait," Hermione said as they walked into the alley after going through the door. "If you are supposed to be teaching me...then aren't I supposed to, um, change?"

Remus seemed to think about this for a moment. "Well, I could just tell him-"

"But what makes you think he'll beleive that! If he doesn't see me ever then he'll start to suspect something. That could get you killed!"

"I'm sure that won't happen, Hermione. I doubt he'll even check-"

"And I'm telling you I don't want to endanger your life."

"My life is in danger everyday," the older man sighed.

Hermione gave him a stern look that reminded him a lot of Molly and he resisted the urge to laugh. "Hermione, I know you want to keep this a secret, but you can't if you are gone the three nights of a fullmoon. That is a bit obvious."

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip, a sign she was thinking hard. "I know," she said. "I can change one night out of the three! And then we can make sure I'm seen."

"But that would still be a potential problem with your unexplained absence."

Hermione looked down at the ground, realizing she would have to inform McGonagall at least where she was going once a month. She sighed. "We could tell Professor McGonagall," she said meekly. "She should probably know about what Greyback is up to as well."

"Are you up for it?" he asked, worry wrinkling his forehead.

Hermione nodded. "But we better do it before I lose my nerve."

* * *

Minerva looked tired, stressed, and about 20 years older when Hermione and Remus walked into the study to find her. Her hair was in disarray, strands of hair sticking out of the bun on the back of her head and her eyes looked bloodshot. She looked up at the two of them as they entered and smiled weakly. "What can I do for you?" 

"Well," Remus started. "I beleive there is something Hermione would like to tell you. And a slight problem we need your help with."

Minerva gave them a reassuring smile as she gestured for them to sit down. "Tea?" she asked.

"No thank you," Hermione and Remus both said.

Then they sat in silence for another minute before Minerva cleared her throat. "So, are you going to tell me what it is, Ms. Granger? I can't help if I don't know what it is."

"Well, here's the thing," Hermione began as she wrung her hands together in her lap. Her heart was beating fast in her chest and she was so light headed from fear she was afraid she would pass out. "I-I seem to have been bitten by a werewolf."

The first thing Minerva did was jerk her head to stare at Remus, who sighed deeply. "It was not me, Minerva."

A flood of releif flooded the old witch as she heard that. At least it wasn't Remus. Wait, Hermione was still a werewolf.

"When did this happen?"

"I-I guess a-about a month ago."

"You guess? Do you not know what happened?"

"I do," the girl said softly, looking down at her lap. "I mean, I didn't know it was a werewolf when it bit me, but then I ch-changed and-" Hermione stopped as a sob shook her body and silent tears fell down her cheeks.

"I need to know what happened Hermione," Minerva said, trying to snap her out of it long enough to explain.

"I went home, to my paren't house a few weeks ago to let them know I was ok and would be gone the rest of the summer. It was night, and while I was there we heard a noise outside. We thought it was the raccoons in the garbage again," she said with a small smile. "Instead I saw a small dog. It looked like a puppy. I went to grab it and it just nipped me. It barely even bled at all. I-I didn't think anything of it. It was so small...it barely even bit me," she said trailing off as more tears choked her up.

"A puppy?" Remus said, looking at Minerva. "Greyback's been turning children again without their parent's knowing."

Minerva sighed and rubber her eyes behind her glasses. She didn't know how to handle this situation. She didn't know if she _could _handle it.

"I don't want anyone else to know," Hermione said suddenly. "I-I'm not ready for it."

Minerva gave her a small reassuring smile. "You do know they have the right to know."

"I do, but I can't right now. I'm having enough trouble dealing with this myself. I'm not ready to help them deal with it too."

"There is one more thing," Remus said, grabbing Minerva's attention. "Greyback tracked her the last fullmoon and knows who she is. And he said something about using her. He knows she's one of Harry's best friends and he wants to use her. But he doesn't want anyone to know yet. He even wants it secret from You Know Who. He told me to t-teach her."

"Oh my, if Greyback already knows then we need to find someway to keep her away!"

"Professor, if I stay away, then Greyback will know Professor Lupin isn't on his side and he could ... he could kill him," Hermione said quickly.

Minerva turned to Remus who gave her a slight nod.

"We think we came up with a suitable plan, but we need your help. Hermione said she would be willing to turn one night out of the three so Greyback would sense her and know she was around. And she is also going to make the Wolfsbane for the other two nights. But, since she doesn't want anyone else to know, there is no explanation for her to be away."

"It's rather simple Remus," McGonagall said. "Obvious in fact."

Remus raised his eyebrows at her before she continued. "We will alert the Order that Ms. Granger will be making the Wolfsbane potion for you and she must do it at your house. That way any absences she has will be noted to that. And she will make it at your house. That should take care of it I think."

"I actually hadn't thought of that," Remus said.

They both looked over at Hermione who was silently just staring at a nonexistant piece of lint on her pants.

"I shall alert the Order tomorrow morning during our meeting and you can start on that potion tomorrow evening," Minerva said after a minute of silence.

Hermione looked up at her and nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

Author Babble:

o.o! Hermione + Remus in a house alone...the things I could do! Oh my!


	5. Chapter 05

Disclaimer: I own the books, the movies, and a plushie name Voldiekins. Please don't ask what I am doing with that, because I really can't say.

A/N: I love you all! And the next chapter will be filled with more Hermione/Remus fluffiness, promise!

* * *

The next evening, right after the meeting, Remus and Hermione Floo'd over to his house so she could get a start on the potion before the next full moon. He showed her the cauldron and all the potion ingredients in the cupboard across the room. She nodded to him and set down the giant potions book under her arm. As Hermione began digging out ingredients, Remus walked into the other room and started pacing.

He was worried about how this was all going to end up. He was worried about Greyback and his plan for the girl in his kitchen. But what was worst of all, he was worried about Hermione, and the fact he was more worried about her than he should be. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. _Must be the wolf in me._

Hermione fidgeted as she smelled the anxiety from Remus practically pouring off him as the floor boards creaked from his pacing. It was started to make her anxious and that wasn't a good thing when she was trying to make a rather difficult potion. Finally she couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh for Heaven's Sake, STOP IT!" she yelled into the living room. She heard the creaking of the floor stop and the anxiety slowly faded away.

"Sorry," she heard his soft call before she went back to her potion.

* * *

No one seemed to notice her gone, but since she had been rarely seen before, it was really to be expected. She used to spend hours reading in a corner somewhere, but now she spent hours at a certain wolf's house to make a potion she now needed to share with him.

Despite her best efforts to focus on nothing but the potion, Hermione found the job quite hard. It was exceptionally hard to not pay attention to the presence of him all the time. She could feel whatever he was feeling and at first it was a direct distraction to her task. But that she had gotten used to. She had even gotten used to the random appearances he would make to stick his nose down to the cauldron to examine its progress.

One night as she lay in bed it finally hit her what distracted her the most. It was him. It was his overwhelming presence, it was his body. It was the half smiles he would give her, it was the hair that would fall into his face. It was his strong hands, it was the muscles she knew were under his shirt.

Hermione fidgeted in her bed, her forehead wrinkling before she slapped it with her palm. "Idiot," she chided herself. "You're not supposed to fall for the guy."

After Hermione came to the realization she had a crush on her ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, it became slightly more than a distraction when she arrived at his house the next evening to put the finishing touches on the potion for that full moon. She was suddenly more concerned about what she wore, more concerned with how her hair looked. Looking at herself in the mirror before she went over to his house she banged her forehead against it.

"What _am_ I doing?" With a groan she grabbed her robes and ran down the stairs to Floo to his house.

---------------------------

It wasn't so much a change in attitude, or even in her actions, but Remus knew something had changed in Hermione. When he sat down and concentrated on the particular smell she was giving off he realized she was nervous. He 'hmphed' and leaned his head against the back of his couch. He began to wonder what could have possibly changed to make her suddenly nervous in his presence. He hadn't done anything, hadn't said anything. So why did she smell different?

Then realization hit him. No, it wasn't the right reason, but it was a viable one that he could use until he found out the real one. Tomorrow evening would be the first of the three nights of this month's full moon. And it would only be her second full moon. Her first experiences had been anything but pleasant, so naturally she was nervous about the upcoming one.

Rather pleased at his discovery, he went in to the kitchen to see if she was almost done. What he saw stopped him in the door, her appearance causing his breath to hitch slightly in his throat. Her hair was plastered to the sides of her face with sweat from bending over a hot cauldron for the last hour. She was mumbling something too quiet even for his wolf ears to pick up before she started biting her bottom lip. He watched as she slipped her robes off and placed them on a nearby chair, her eyes never leaving the pages of the book beside the cauldron. She wore a pair of nicely fitting hip hugger jeans and a white spaghetti strap tank top that was sticking to her like a second skin.

Appalled at himself, Remus felt his body starting to react to her against his will. Something started stirring in the pit of his stomach as she brought a hair tie out of her pocket and haphazardly tugged her untameable hair into a high ponytail to keep it out of her face. He finally noticed the feeling in his stomach growing as he watched the girl in his kitchen.

'Girl' he told himself. 'And a student. Keep your damned wolf hands off her.' This rather self reprimanding action made him unaware that a low growl had issued from his throat at the site of her now exposed neck as she titled her head away from him. And that is what finally got her attention. Her eyes flew up to meet his and widened slightly.

Hermione felt her heart start to beat slightly faster and she knew a blush now stained her cheeks. She only prayed he would think it was because of the heat of the cauldron she was working over. She suddenly realized how disheveled she looked, especially with her hair being its unruly self and the sweat returning it to a frizzy state. She absentmindedly ran her fingers across her hair to flatten any stray curls.

"It should be done in an hour or two if my test was correct and I've done it right," she said, fidgeting slightly under his gaze.

Remus smiled at her, the butterflies noticing this immediately and taking it as their cue to begin flying around in her stomach.

"I've been thinking," he started as he made his way the rest of the way into the room and too close for Hermione's breathing to stay normal. "It has occured to me that it would probably be best if we **both** stayed unchanged for 2 nights, and changed the one."

Hermione nodded. "That would make sense. Would make it more believable if-if Greyback were to check in unannounced."

Remus just gave her a half smile, causing her heart to pound against her chest more forcefully.

"Well, what night do you think would be best? To change, that is."

Hermione started biting her bottom lip, an old habit that died hard. "Well, is there a difference?" she finally asked him.

"Actually, there is. The night before the full moon and the night after tend to be better. Being under Wolfsbane on the night of the Fullmoon is usually more...uneasy I guess you could say. More of the animal side tends to get out and that is slightly more difficult to control than just being restless."

"So do you think it would be better to change only on the night of the Full Moon?"

"That would probably be the best. Tomorrow night is the first, so you should go home and get a good night's rest. You're gonna need it."

Remus looked over at the girl and saw the fear clouding her eyes. Before he realized what his body was doing, he was standing in front of her, his hands on her arms. They gripped her and he bent down to look her in the face.

"Hey," he said softly. "Just try not to think about it. You can't let this rule your life."

Hermione nodded, still scared, but much less now that his hands were on her arms. She could feel the warm imprint he was making on her bare skin and it sent a thrill of delight all the way to her toes. She didn't know if this was a reaction she would have had if she wasn't now a werewolf, if her senses weren't heightened. Looking up into his eyes, she knew she still would have felt it, werewolf or not.

* * *

Author Babble:

Awww, I was well behaved for that! I have to give the poor girl a build up for her crush, jeez. Shecan'tt just decide she likes him and throws herself on him! That happens next chapter! Wait, did I just say that outloud? Strike that!


	6. Chapter 06

Disclaimer: I own my notebook where I write all this down!

A/N: Another smallish chapter. I promise to start making them longer.

* * *

Hermione let the foul smelling and even worse tasting potion slide down her throat, her gag reflexes trying their hardest to spit it back out. She really had to test out some things to make it taste better if she was going to have to take it for the rest of her life. She felt a tingling start in her toes and work its way up into her head. This was the fun part. The part where her body hummed and she had no worries. And all too quickly, it drained back out, the restlessness of the moon kicking in full gear.

She was pacing, something she found herself doing more and more as of late. She rubbed her palms together, trying to find something she could do that would take her mind off it. But the problem was, she was too occupied with it she couldn't think. As she moved back and forth, wearing the carpet thin, her body began to break out into a thin sheen of sweat. She went up to her room, carefully rummaging through her stuff before running to the bathroom to change out of her hot clothes and into something more comfortable.

After donning another white spaghetti strap tank top and a snug pair of short pajama shorts that were barely more than underwear, she found herself pacing again, this time on the hardwood floor of the kitchen. She opened the refirgerator, and then promptly closed it. She wasn't thirsty, she wasn't hungry. She just needed something to do, anything would work as long as she didn't think about how much she wanted to crawl out of the confines of her skin and run naked under the full moon.

She was on her way out of the kitchen when she ran straight in to a rather surprised pair of bodies. She looked up into the face of a startled Harry and a drooling Ron. She just gave him an exasperated look before Harry spoke.

"What are you doing down here this late?"

"I was thirsty," she lied. "What about you two? You look like a guilty pair," she said, her eyebrow raised and her arms crossed.

Harry ran his hand through his hair, a sign he was nervous and Hermione knew it. "Well, Fred and George-"

"Enough said," she said, holding her hands up. "If you don't tell me what they're doing, I won't have to tell Mrs. Weasley."

"Thanks Hermione," Ron said with a grin, finally finding his voice. They rushed passed her and to the fireplace where they floo'd to 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes'. Hermione just stared at the now empty hearth and wondered why she didn't beg them to take her with them. It would have at least been _something_ to do. She sighed, her eyes landing on the Floo Powder.

Chewing her lip in concentration for only a moment, she ran over and tossed some into the dying fire and went rushing to the only person that would be able to help her.

She stepped out of the fireplace, absentmindedly brushing the soot out of her hair. She looked over at the couch, making eye contact with Remus. She just stared at him for a moment, taking in his bare chest and the way the candlelight seemed to dance across his muscles that were already sweating like she was. The only movement he was making was his leg bouncing up and down slightly. She was relieved to see he was as restless as she was.

"I don't know if I can do this," she said quickly, biting her bottom lip again and resisting the urge to be closer to him. The thought alone was enough to send goosebumps all over her barely covered body.

Remus sighed before he stood up and carried his half empty tea cup back in to the kitchen. He returned a moment later and handed a fresh cup to Hermione, who took it carefully, afraid she was shaking so bad it would drop to the floor in a million pieces.

"Drink it, you'll feel better."

"Will it stop this?"

He gave her a sad smile. "No, but it always helps me."

As if that was enough, Hermione brought the cup to her lips. She let the warm liquid travel down her slightly parched throat and spread out as it reached her stomach. She felt the goosebumps slowly fade away and was rewarded with a pleasantly warm feeling in her stomach.

Remus turned and sat back down on the couch, trying to not think of the barely clothed woman standing in his living room. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to see her. But it was just as bad as his mind pictured her just like she was standing in front of him. With a silent groan of protest he opened his eyes again to see her rocking back and forth on her heels, still clutching the mug of tea like it was a lifeline.

She wasn't ready for this. No one should ever be ready for this. Remus wished with all his heart that he could at least undo the damage that had been done to her, but it was no use. There was no cure, and he highly doubted there ever would be. To be plain and simple, it was a disease, bonding with the very DNA that makes up a person. The only known tests killed every single subject painfully as they tried to seperate the Wolf from the Human. And after a while, it's hard to tell how much of you really is human, and how much of you the wolf has taken over.

He wondered that now as he felt the need to pounce the woman standing in front of him. He watched slowly as she set the tea down on the mantle and began to pace back and forth in front of the fireplace. She was wringing her hands and biting her lip. The sudden thought of him biting that same lip brought about another feeling of restlessness that he supressed. It really wasn't a good idea for her to be here.

But as he prepared to tell her she needed to go back to the Burrow, he pictured the hurt look that she would make. He didn't have the heart to tell her to leave. He was the only person she could go to. And as much as he wanted to just take advantage of that, he would never do it.

"Just relax," he said to her. She paused only a moment to look at him before returning to her pacing.

"I can't. I don't know what to do to stop this feeling. I just want to...to..."

"Strip down and go running in the moonlight?"

Hermione laughed lightly before nodding. "Exactly."

"Wouldn't we be a sight," he said with a wider smile. "I can imagine the look on Molly's face if we took a run passed her house as she was making breakfast."

Hermione laughed, her first real laugh in days. "We'd be lucky to make it out of that situation alive."

Her pacing had slowed, and she wasn't wringing her hands to the point of pain anymore. She knew he understood, and that was enough to calm her nerves, but only slightly. The restlessness was still an ever present companion, one she could live without. And it was starting to climb up her spine again. Without paying attention, her pacing picked back up again.

Hermione was only vaguely aware that Remus had gotten off the couch and was walking over to her. She didn't even notice him as she turned around for another lap and ran smack into his chest. She felt herself starting to fall backwards before his strong arms grabbed hers and pulled her back up. She looked up into his face as he took a step back, his hands still grasping her arms.

"You **have** to learn to control it. Otherwise it _will_ control you."

Hermione nodded, hearing what he said but not comprehending it. Her mind was preoccupied with how very close she was to him. She could see small sweat drops on his forehead, she could almost taste the salt from it. Her senses were overwhelmed, the sight of him, the sound of his breathing, the taste of his muskiness, the smell of his body, and the touch of his hands as they continued to grasp her arms. It was the last one that was causing small tingles down her arms and into her hands.

Her heart started beating fast, her breathing becoming slightly heavier. Her mind began to fuzz as the only thought was to get closer to him. The only thing she could cling to was him and she wanted to cling to him for the rest of her life, be it 10 seconds or 1000 years.

Remus saw her looking straight into him, straight into his thoughts. His eyes darted to her mouth, her very inviting pink lips. He heard his blood rushing through his ears as his body started itching to pull hers close. The only problem with that was it was _her_, someone who gave him all their trust.

His mind, however, kept taking in the very scantily clad woman still in his grip and it was tantalizing him with suggestive thoughts. He tried to clear his head, but it wouldn't happen. And then he smelled it, smelled her. She was looking at him like he was the main course at a banquet and she hadn't eaten in days.

Any other time, when they were both sane and in control of their thoughts and bodies, he would have welcomed this sudden turn of events. But since she was still struggling to stay sane, and he was her guardian in this matter, this was a problem. But her smell was intoxicating, surrounding him and permeating his skin. He knew even after she was gone, he would still smell her.

Hermione took a step towards him, every intention of pressing her body flat against his and pulling his face down for a kiss. She was halted by the firmer grip on her arms, and she looked rather indignant.

The predatory gleam in her eye is what made Remus remember his hands on her. He moved them quickly and she took a slow step towards him, her gaze on him never waivering.

"Hermione, NO," he said.

* * *

Author Babble:

Ohmigosh! That was a HORRIBLE place to stop!


	7. Chapter 07

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction about it.

A/N: I'm starting to run out of Outline! Oh noes!

* * *

Remus' self control was starting to waver as he had to restrain her again, holding her away from him. He didn't realize how forcefully he was pushing her away until they both stopped when her body hit the wall. He was snapped out of his agressiveness, but slightly wary that he couldn't push her further away.

"We would both regret this for 25 days out of the month," he finally told her. He watched her face as it fell, that feeling of hurt he had predicted coming out.

"Aren't these 3 worth it?" she asked quietly.

"They wouldn't be for you," he simply told her.

Hermione tore out of his grip, tears stinging her eyes. She brushed passed him and looked over her shoulder at his back and shouted," Then you don't know ANYTHING!" She opened his door and ran into the night. She ran straight ahead onto the road. She didn't care where she was going, as long as it was away from _him_.

She was vaguely aware of the foot falls behind her, and she knew just from the sound they were catching up with her. For the first time in her life she was cursing her lack of athletic ability. A stitch was already forming in her side, but her legs wouldn't slow for one second, afraid he would catch her.

Remus finally caught her, wrapping his arms around her to pin her own to her side. He stopped their running, holding her tight so she couldn't break free. They stood there together like that for at least a minute, standing in the middle of the street to catch their breath.

"You have to control this," he whispered in her ear.

Hermione felt involuntary shivers run down her spine as his breath caressed her ear. Even though she knew he didn't want her, her body was still reacting to the mere closeness of his. Her brain screamed for common sense to take back over and turn off everything she felt, everything she knew was wrong and she would never have.

She suddenly had the urge to just remove the problem. Remove herself from his grip and never be near him again. She began to struggle in his arms, trying to work her arms free of the tight hold he had on her. She put all her weight down and tried to throw him off her, but she knew it was a pointless effort before she even attempted it. She tried everything she could, including slamming her head backwards, hoping it would meet his. She knew he was anticipating something like that and her head was thankful he had.

When she was out of breath again she let her body slump against his, letting him hold all her weight. She couldn't run from it, she couldn't fight it, she couldn't resist it, and she couldn't have it.

"I don't want to live like this," she said almost too softly to hear. If he hadn't been a werewolf, he wouldn't have been able to.

Remus unwrapped his arms around the dejected girl and let her fall into his embrace, scooping her off the ground. He made his way back to his house, letting her silently cry into his chest. Every sob she let out, every sniffle caused a shard of pain to rip through his heart. It wasn't his fault she was in this situation, but he felt responsible nonetheless.

By the time they reached his dwelling she had already cried herself into a half sleep. He walked right in, the door still open. He had been too occupied to bother closing it in his haste to catch the girl that was now in his arms.

He walked upstairs and laid her down on his bed, hoping he was gentle enough not to wake her. And when she opened her eyes as he stood up he knew his luck wasn't that good.

"Lay with me?" she asked, pleading him with her entire being. She needed his comfort, his presence to calm her.

"I don't think-"

"Please," she begged, tears leaking from her eyes again. "You don't have to touch me. Just lay with me."

When Remus sighed and ran his hand through his hair, she knew he would. She smiled up at him before he walked around to the other side of the bed. She heard the thunk of his shoes hit the floor before his weight settled on the bed.

She didn't even turn around to look at him as she felt him lay down behind her. If she did, she was liable to pounce him like every nerve in her body wanted to do. She just closed her eyes and tried to even out her breathing. She soon fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming of something just out of her range, its silhouette taunting her in the distance.

* * *

Hermione woke up with a start, not remembering where she was for a moment. Then her head turned and she saw the still sleeping form of Remus on the other side of the bed. He was a gentleman. He hadn't touched her the entire night, _damn him_.

She walked quietly out of the room, made her way down the stairs and floo'd back to the Burrow. She made her way stealthely past the kitchen where she heard Mrs. Weasley cooking breakfast. As she passed it she darted upstairs into the room she shared with Ginny and laid down in her makeshift bed. She barely had her eyes closed when she heard the thud of someone tripping on the stairs, followed by a muffled curse.

She only had to wait a second before she heard knocking on her door. Ginny just groaned and turned to face away from the door. Hermione got up and cracked the door, trying to look like she was just woken up.

"Whaddya want?" she asked, punctuated by a yawn.

"Get up, breakfast," mumbled a still groggy Ron. Although he wasn't too groggy to notice the still barely clothed Hermione. As she watched his eyes rake over her she realized that Ron was checking her out.

Now, under normal circumstances she would have been shouting from the roof tops that he had noticed she was female. But instead, she was feeling a bit violated. She bit her tongue before she said some smart ass comment. When had she stopped wanting him? When had her crush on him disappeared?

Hermione's thoughts turned to Remus, the only one on her mind lately. Oh yeah, she reminded herself. That ass!

"Fine, we'll be down in a few."

And thus began the abhorrent task of dragging a very disgruntled Ginny out of bed. But we don't want to bore you with the details of that. Just know that Hermione almost sported a black eye to the breakfast table.

Hermione settled for a light breakfast, her stomach churning at the fact she had to actually turn that evening. Her eyes moved to the door as Remus walked in. He didn't even look her way as he greeted a still busy Molly Weasley.

With a 'hmph' Hermione stood up and exited the kitchen to be away from his presence. And much to her dismay, his smell still lingered on her and nothing short of showering and spraying herself with copious amounts of perfume would get rid of it.

Much to Hermione's annoyance Remus stayed in the Order HQ all day, meeting with Arthur before he went to work and then with McGonagall. Every time she had to pass within his proximity she would grit her teeth in agitation and relieve herself of his presence at the first possible moment.

If he noticed he didn't say anything, nor did he make any move to find out why. Although, she thought to herself, last night's actions would be enough of a reason for him to not want to be within a 100 mile radius of her.

She nervously watched the clock. For once it was going too fast and she willed it to stop. She cursed under her breath as the clock chimed and she knew it was time to make her way to Remus' house. It was only half an hour to sunset and her body was starting to get a bit uncomfortable, and that in and of itself made her queasy.

Hermione was thankful for small miracles when she didn't see Remus in the kitchen as she walked in the back door, leaving it open for a hasty retreat. She walked over to the cauldron with the potion in it, wrinkling her nose at the odor it was giving off.

That made her think of her duty to still be here to make it. She sighed. If it didn't have to be made each month she would have stayed an entire month to make enough to last him the rest of his damnedable days so she wouldn't have to be in his presence ever again.

Her feet paced the floor as she started to grow more and more uncomfortable in her own skin. She tugged on the collar of her shirt, suddenly aware of how tight it had become around her throat. Without thinking, she pulled it over her head, followed quicky by her sandals and pants.

Hermione looked down to see her nails starting to come to a point and panicked. She removed her bra and panties before running out the open backdoor, slamming it shut behind her.

After that her body fell to the ground, pulsing and convulsing as her skin was ripped open and a werewolf stepped out.

A howl ripped from her throat, her body stretching out in the warm summer night air. It felt nice to finally be free. She inhaled deeply, catching a familiar scent on the air. It was _him_.

Now very alert, she turned and ran in the direction it was coming from.

* * *

Author Babble:

Poor Hermione, rejected by a werewolf. When will he ever learn?


	8. Chapter 08

Disclaimer: If I owned them, I would play with them in real life, not a fanfic.

A/N: I know you're all getting just as tired, frustrated, and annoyed at Remus as Hermione is, but I promise a little more in this chapter. Small word of caution, there is very little dialogue in this chapter, so be prepared to read.

Also, thank you Aljinon, your advice was great I chucked the outline and this chapter came out a lot easier.

* * *

Hermione grunted and shirfted her bodyweight off her arm that was tingling painfully, almost asleep. She lifted herself from the slightly damp grass and looked over to see Remus on the ground not too far from her. She slowly made her way into a standing position, her head spinning and hating the movement. She moved her legs slowly until she could walk normally and walked into Remus' house that wasn't too far in the distance.

Hermione walked straight into the shower after gathering her clothes from the kitchen floor. The warm water of the shower relaxed all her tense muscles, allowing her to slump very unHermione like against the shower wall. She stayed like that until the water started to cool off. She quickly bathed, but the water was still ice cold by the time she was done, forcing the grogginess from her mind.

She begrudgingly got out and put on her clothes, wincing slightly at the strain of her already sensitive muscles. She opened the bathroom door, hoping he was still laying face down in the grass, but she knew she wasn't that lucky. The smell of coffee wafted to her nose and she was half tempted to stay and attempt civilized conversation just for some. But her pride wouldn't let her. She brushed past him, grabbed her sandals and slipped them on before walking back past him and going into the living room to floo to the Burrow. She didn't even bother to look back at him, and she missed the look of longing in his eyes.

When she got back she ate a light breakfast for appearance sake and left before Remus could even get there. She didn't even give Harry or Ron a greeting as she brushed past them on the way to the library. At least there she knew she wouldn't have to deal with it all. The thought of burying herself in a large book was slightly calming and she found her steps slowing some as she reached the library door.

She picked up the overly large book she had left off in and made her way to the table and chairs. Slinking down and getting comfortable, she opened the book and began reading. Eventually the real world was sucked away and the surreal world of this book was all that mattered to her. She was thankful for that small grace.

That night, however, no book was able to keep her mind off how much she wanted him. And it was starting to cause her a lot of pain emotionally and physically wasn't doing too much better. She paced the entire night in the bathroom, praying no one needed to use it. Thankfully, she spent the night alone in there, millions of thoughts racing through her mind.

The main two thoughts were Remus and her friends. She knew she needed to clear the air with Remus, but she was too proud for that, or at least at the moment she was. And she knew, even if it terrified her, she needed to tell her friends. She blanched at the thought of Harry and Ron hating her, but she knew it was nonsense. The only reason they would have to hate her was because she kept a secret from them, she reminded herself. Strangely, that wasn't a comforting thought.

* * *

It was over two weeks later when Hermione finally saw Remus again. She had succesfully avoided him at the Burrow, Head Quarters, and at his house. She had a small feeling he played a part in the avoidance as well. It was just too...easy. And she thought she had calmed her emotions enough to talk to him. But seeing him walk in the kitchen as she was finishing her work on the potion for the day, they all flooded back in a wash of pain and need. If she hadn't been clutching the chair, her knees would have given out on her at the mere sight of him.

She grabbed her robes and made her way out of the kitchen, brushing up against him in the process. Then she opened her mouth. She didn't know what made her say it, or how she found the courage to do it, but she did.

"Just so you know, I wouldn't have regretted it."

* * *

Needless to say, Hermione was more than a little crushed when she saw he was deliberately avoiding her now. When she would go down for breakfast, he would leave. When she showed up at his house at the normal hours again, he would be leaving or already gone. And he wouldn't come back until after she was finished.

A pang of sadness would wash over her every time she saw him, or thought she would see him. He was acting more childish than Ron. But her only comforting thought was he couldn't avoid her for three nights out of the month. And those three nights, she had him to herself.

Then that first night came, and hit her hard. She didn't even have the nerves to stop the shaking. All she could do was rock back and forth in the corner, her knees clutched to her chest. Her knuckles were white from the exertion and she was more sweaty than usual. But she couldn't stop the shaking. All thoughts of going to Remus were lost when he had given her a blank look that morning, and a slow shake of the head.

Her body, however, seemed to have very different intentions. As soon as the first thought of Remus popped into her head she was on her feet and headed for the fireplace. She mentally berated herself, knowing she shouldn't be going, he had told her not to go. But her body did not care. It craved him and it seemed to be moving on a will all its own.

Wearing nothing but a large button down shirt that had once been her fathers and a pair of underwear, Hermione floo'd to the only place she shouldn't be going. When her eyes settled back into their sockets, she searched the living room for him, finding nothing. She made her way to the kitchen, wiping the soot off her feet on the rug as she went. When she rounded the corner, she practically smashed right into him.

The sight of him made her knees give out again, this time with nothing to hold her up. Her hands landed on his chest while his arms grabbed her and pulled her back up. Hermione was highly aware he was bare chested and sweating, and the fact her body was directly pressed against his. Her breathing picked up as she looked up into his eyes.

"Please," she whispered. "Make me forget."

That was the last time Remus had to be told. As he held her in his arms, he bent down and captured her lips in a kiss that could only be described as perfect. The mold of her lips to his, the feel of her breath as she opened her mouth to him, the touch of her tongue on his. His barrier of self control crashed down around him as he ravaged the beauty in his arms.

* * *

Hermione woke up on the couch, still halfway on top of Remus. The memories of the night before flashed in her mind and she smiled, a real smile. She looked over at his clock and cursed under her breath. She needed to hurry if she wanted to get back before they noticed her absence. She slipped out of his embrace and pulled on her panties and shirt.

Buttoning it back up, she walked silently over to the fireplace. Just as she buttoned the bottom button she felt his arms wrap around her waist and his body press up against her back.

"Leaving like that will take 5 years off a man's life," he murmured in her ear.

* * *

Author Babble:

Well I must say, it's about time! And sorry for the lack of details, I'm attempting to keep this a 'T' rating. If it ever does progress to 'M', I'll rewrite the scene and repost it.


	9. Chapter 09

Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be.

A/N: I do apologize. I've been sick and typed this chapter under the unfluence of copious amounts of NyQuil.

* * *

Hermione practically bounced into breakfast that morning, only slightly late, but thankfully unnoticed coming from the fireplace. She grinned as she sat down at the table, eating only a few bites of her breakfast and drinking all her juice. As she was about to get up from the table, Harry and Ron walked in. 

"Hey Hermione," Harry whispered to her. "We went to get you last night, but you weren't there," he finished, his eyebrows raised.

"Sorry," she replied, only a faint blush covering hr cheeks. "I thought I might have gotten the potion wrong, so I went to check."

"Perfectionist," she heard Ron mutter before she ran up to her room to change.

"Hermione!" Ginny yelled from down the stairs only moments later.

Hermione stuck her head out the door. "What?"

"Hogwarts letters are here!" yelled the excited girl.

At the mention of school, Hermione's good mood faded slightly. It would be difficult for her to go back to school like this. She closed her eyes and plopped her head onto the wall behind her as she let out a sigh. She knew she would have to tell Harry and Ron now. She wasn't sure if she should be happy she would finally tell them, or scared because they would be so mad at her.

She made her way downstairs again, walking into the buzzing room. She grabbed her letter as Mrs. Weasley handed it to her, opening it withthe feeling of a lead ball sinking to the bottom of her stomach. _Did she make Head Girl?_

"Oh my god," she whispered as the shiny badge of theHead Girl fell out of the envelope and onto the floor.

"What is it Hermione?" Ron asked, following her gaze to the floor. "Bloody Hell, Hermione made Head Girl."

"Like we doubted she would," Harry said with a laugh before Harry and Ron swooped in to hug her.

"Air," she gasped after a minute. "I need air!"

Laughing, the boys let her go, smiles all over their faces.

"Do you know how much stuff we can get away with now?" Ron said, a dreamy look on his face.

"Ronald Weasley," cut in the stern voice of his mother. "If I hear you giving Hermione a hard time I'll personally come up to Hogwarts to give _you_ a hard time!"

"Sorry mum, forgot you were still in here," he mumbled, looking only slightly dejected and casting Harry a wink.

Hermione just rolled her eyes at the two as Remus walked into the room. The happiness that had melted earlier came back in full force as she smiled over at thim.

"What seems to be the happy occassion?" he asked, surveying the animated talking around the room.

"Hermione's been made Head Girl," Molly informed him, looking proud.

"Well done Hermione," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder and giving her a squeeze. She just smiled, butterflies darting around her stomach at the small contact.

"Well hurry up and eat," Mrs. Weasley said to the group of students in the kitchen. "We need to get to Diagon Alley in a bit so we don't run late, as usual."

* * *

Hermione clutched the letter in one hand, and the badge in the other as she entered the study to talk to Professor McGonagall. 

"Professor, may I speak with you?" she asked timidly.

"Of course Ms. Granger, have a seat."

Hermione sat down in front of the woman, her grip not letting up on her letter or hre badge. "Well, I-I-um, well." Hermione stopped trying to speak and sighed. "Thank you for making me Head Girl," she finally said quietly.

McGonagall looked up at the girl. "You were the best for the position," she said with a tight smile.

"And I do appreciate it, but with my...circumstances, do you think I should still-"

"Of course Ms Granger! Don't you EVER think you aren't worthy because of your situation. Remus certainly never did," she said. "Not after his friends were there to help him." She raised a knowing eyebrow.

Hermione cringed. "I know, I'm going to tell them this afternoon," she said quietly. "I'm just...afraid I guess."

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley have dealt with worse before. And you are their friend. They will stick by your side," said the older woman with a reassuring smile.

* * *

Hermione let out a frustrated cry and raised her hands in the air. "Prats," she said through her teeth. She had been trying to get them alone to talk to them the entire afternoon, but they kept dragging her store to store and now they had spent the better part of an hour staring at different brooms and discussing their aerodynamics. 

With a final frustrated sigh and a wave of her arms she stalked out of the shop and set off for the book shop. When she neared Knockturn Alley she stopped in her tracks and her spine stiffened. Her eyes darted into the darkness, only meeting a pair of yellow ones. They were the ones to break the stare first, turning and walking further into the darkness.

Her feet not listening to her brain, followed slowly, curious as to who it was although she had a sinking feeling it was Greyback. She silently willed her feet not to take her any closer to the Alley, but they just wouldn't listen. As she stepped her feet in, she felt the darkness and dankness swell around her and the trance her feet had been in broke. She swiveled on her heels to run out, but she felt a strong hand clamp over her mouth and a large body press against her back.

She screamed, but only a muffled sound came out. She could feel his breath on her neck, feel the roughness of his cheek against her own.

"I can't have you back in that _school_," he said in a low whisper before she felt something point in her back.

The last thing she saw was Mrs. Weasley leaving a store, not 20 feet from her. She raised her arm to the woman before her world went black.

* * *

Remus was very rudely awoken when he heard the 'pop' of an apparition in his house. He squinted open his eyes from the couch and opened them wide when he saw a very distraught looking Molly with Harry and Ron looking even worse. 

"Remus, oh thank goodness you're here. I-I need your help," the older witch said frantically.

"My god, what's happened Molly?" he said, getting up from the couch and walking over to the trio. _Trio? Where's Hermione?_

"We were in Diagon Alley, getting school supplies," she began. "Harry, Ron, and Hermione went off to look at Brooms, and-and-um" The woman was wringing her hands now, her voice trembling.

"Where's Hermione?" Remus demanded.

"We don't know," Harry said quietly. "She left the shop before us. We went to look for her, but we couldn't find her."

"We searched the entire place," Ron said, just as scared as the other two.

"You searched all of Diagon Alley?" Remus asked as he turned back to Molly. She gave him a nod. "And Knockturn Alley?"

This was responded with a negative shake of her head.

"She wouldn't go down there," Ron said.

"It doesn't matter if she would go down there, it's probable that if anyone took her, they left that way," Remus said, running his hand through his hair and letting out a deep breath. _His Hermione was gone._

"We will be able to find her? Right?" Harry asked, looking up into Remus' face.

This time, the older man didn't give Harry a smile of reassurance. He just put his hand on the boy's shoulder and squeezed it.

* * *

Author Babble:

Sorry for the delay, I hadn't typed this chapter yet and I got really sick. I hope to catch back up fast.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Not mine

A/N: No killing allowed for the slow update!

* * *

Hermione's eyes cracked open, her head pounding and her vision blurry. Her hand went to her head, hoping to ease the pain in her temples. When her vision cleared she found herself chained to a wall by her left leg. The shackle was huge and she couldn't move move than five feet from the wall at best. A pained groan escaped her dry mouth as a wave of nausea took hold of her.

Hermione's eyes focused on something in the dungeon like room as it moved. She squinted her eyes, making out a human form. She knew who it was without having to see him clearly. It was Greyback. She watched as his figure stood up and walked over to her, his eyes shining brightly in the candle light.

"I was wondering how long you were going to sleep," he said to her, a giant smile on his face.

Hermione resisted the urge to spit on him as she brought herself slowly to her feet. "What do you think you're going to get from me?" she asked him through her teeth. She just wanted to fall back to the ground and let sleep overtake her again, but she couldn't. She had to figure a way out of this, even if her body was shaking from the exertion of standing.

He just smiled wider. "You will be a nice little instrument for me, oh yes you will. It might take some convincing, but that's the fun part."

Hermione resisted the urge to empty her stomach contents as she saw the look of glee on his face. "You area sick bastard and you will get nothing from me," she spat out with all the venom she could muster.

The old werewolf laughed, something that only sounded partially human, and mostly wolf. "You are going to be a fun one," he said, leaning very close to her.

Hermione took a step back, hitting the wall behind her. The smell of his breath made her gag, and it took all she had to hold it back.

"You're lucky," he said, running a hand through her hair. "The sun will be down very soon, so the lesson will have to wait until tomorrow." He smelled her hair before dropping it back in place and backing away.

Hermione looked around, trying to find a window and saw one across from her and slightly to the right. He was right, the sun was going to be setting very soon. She turned and watched him leave the room, but heard no sound of a lock clicking. With another glance out the window Hermione looked around the room for anything she could reach that would help her with the lock. She let out a frustrated sigh when she found everything out of her reach even when she stretched. Dropping her arm, she looked back out the window as she felt a tingling feeling rush through her body.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no, no," she muttered as she felt the familiar feeling of the transformation taking hold of her. She gripped her stomach, the pain soaring through her. Her skin began to burn where it had been tingling and she let out a strangled cry as she felt it ripping and the werewolf coming out.

The young werewolf shook off the shackle around it's back leg, annoyed by its presence. She bounded over to the door, scraping at it so it would open. She was finally able to claw her way out and run into the fresh night air. Before she could run off she caught a smell in the wind. It was the smell of a werewolf she didn't know, and didn't particularly want to know.

She watched as the old werewolf came around the corner and a low growl ripped from her throat. She smelled that this was his territory, and that put her at a disadvantage as the old werewolf pounced.

* * *

Mrs. Weasley was wringing her hands, pacing Remus's house still. It was nearly 7 in the morning and she was left to her own devices as Remus and Minerva discussed private matters in the kitchen. She looked up at the clock for the umpteenth time in the last five minutes, anxious for the meeting in the other room to end. She blamed herself for losing track of Hermione, and she was feeling worse and worse by the minute.

She walked over to the window, peering out at the sun as it lit up the small living room. She stared into the woods not far off, praying Hermione was safe. The last thing she expected to see was a naked and very bloody Hermione laying in the yard.

"Someone help me!" she yelled as she grabbed her cloak and ran outside. She didn't stop to think about why Hermione would be naked, nor did she wonder how Hermione had made it back alive. The only thing on her mind was getting the child inside and praying she wasn't dead.

As she neared Hermione, tears welled up in her eyes. A deep gash in her should, dangerously close to her neck was the cause of most of the blood. A gash to the right and left of that one were nowhere near as bad, but still adding to the pool under the girl. She draped the cloak over Hermione and pulled out her wand.

She looked up before she could cast her spell and saw Reums and Minerva rushing out.

"By the Gods!" Minerva exclaimed as she saw the blood soaking into the cloak.

Remus ran and crouched down by Hermione, his fingers resting on her neck, then grabbing her wrist. "She's barely alive," he said quietly. "Get her inside, NOW!"

* * *

Upon further examination, it was a werewolf claw mark across Hermione's shoulder and neck. She also had a nasty gash on her leg that was stubbornly refusing to stop bleeding. The two older witches and the wizard spent hours getting the bleeding to stop, and once the woundswere bandaged, blood started seeping through the bandages.

"Will they heal?" Molly asked the other two as they sat at the kitchen table with cold cups of tea in front of them.

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "No, not completely. Those were made by a werewolf, and they will scar. But since she is a werewolf, it won't be as bad as a normal person."

Molly's ears perked up. "She was bitten?" she asked, now horrified for the girl. But she didn't ever remember seeing a bite mark.

"She's been a werewolf since the beginning of the summer," Minerva stepped in to explain. "She didn't know she had been bitten until the first fullmoon. She's been trying to find a way to tell everyone. I guess she hasn't figured that out yet..." The older woman trailed off, her eyes resting on the stairs.

Molly didn't know what to say. This was something she had never expected. "Th-that's why she was taken?" she asked Remus.

The man gave her a nod. "It was Greyback, I could smell him on her."

Molly leaned her head down onto the table, contemplating banging on it a few times. How had she not known? Was she really that out of it? She sighed loudly.

"Don't worry, she's been doing a good job keeping up appearances," Remus said.

"She was actually planning on telling Harry and Ron today in Diagon Alley," Minerva added solemnly as she stirred her cup of tea for the thousandth time.

Molly sighed again, accompanied by the other two this time. "Now what do we do?"

"We have to tell them."

"Knowing those two, they're liable to throw a fit."

"Should we tell them seperately?"

"No, I think they'll need the support of each other on this one," Remus said, hoping the boys would take it better than they were predicting.

"All right," Molly said as she stood up. "Who's going to tell them?"

* * *

Harry and Ron just _knew_ they were in trouble. When McGonagall, Lupin, _and_ Mrs. Weasley wanted to speak with them privately they nearly panicked.

"Sit down boys," McGonagall said as she gestured to the chairs in front of the desk she was standing behind.

Ron made an audible gulping sound while Harry mechanically sat down in the chair behind him.

"Don't worry," Mrs. Weasley said. "It's about Hermione."

"Where is she?" Harry asked.

"Is she ok?" Ron asked at the same time.

"She's safe now," McGonagall said, sitting down in her chair after the boys sat. "She's at Remus' house for the moment, and it is not wise to move her. She sustained injuries in her escape, and we're not sure how long it will take her to wake up."

Harry and Ron both looked pale, and Harry was gripping his seat so tightly it was starting to bend slightly under the pressure.

"I'm sure you're wondering why we didn't just tell you when we told everyone else," Lupin finally said as he propped himself on the corner of the desk. A short nod from both of them affirmated his assumption. "There is something Hermione wanted to tell you both before this happened. She wanted to let you know when she found the courage to do it, but since this attack, I think it wise we advise you in her place." _God, Hermione's gonna kill me,_ he thought to himself as he took a moment for it all to sink in. "Hermione was bitten over the summer while at her parent's house."

This statement didn't appear to affect the boys in any way, so he continued.

"It was a werewolf bite." This time they both reacted.

Harry jumped off his chair, rambling about how dangerous a secret that was, how she should have told them, and a million other things that became slurred together as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

Ron was quite the opposite, his white face going to full on red as the information sunk in. He just stared at the spot on the desk in front of him, not moving, not saying a word.

Their reactions were worse than any of the three adults had anticipated.

* * *

Author Babble:

I promise you won't have to wait so long for the next installment of 'As The Sun Sets"!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

A/N: I know, another late one.

* * *

Mrs. Weasley and McGonagall left the room, allowing Remus to talk to the boys alone. Harry was still pacing, and Ron was still staring blankly. They hadn't planned on the boys taking it so hard, but they weren't exactly sure why they were. Remus looked from one boy to another. 

"Look, Hermione-"

"Professor," Harry said, stopping him in mid sentence. "W-was it, I mean, did you...were you the one that bit her?"

Remus nearly laughed outloud if it weren't for the serious expression on Harry's face. "No Harry, it wasn't me." He was slightly disappointed that Harry would have thought it.

"Great," Ron squeaked finally. "That means there's more of you out there."

"Ron, there have always been a number of _us_. But the one that bit Hermione was new, only a small child. She didn't even recognize it for what it was."

"That doesn't mean she had to keep it from us!" Harry yelled.

"Harry, she wanted to-"

"Yeah, but she didn't! She could have put us all in danger!"

"Diid you not think she was in danger? Do you not think about what was going through her head?" Remus was starting to get a bit agitated at the two boys.

"THEN SHE SHOULD HAVE TOLD US!" Harry yelled. He couldn't take anymore of this. Not now. He was too angry to even think rationally so he turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. _I'm the one that's supposed to be in danger, not her._

With Harry's abrupt departure, Ron turned around and looked at Remus, looking at him like he was seeing him for the first time that day.

"She had no right to keep it from us."

* * *

Hermione cracked her eyes, something that her brain very much wanted to not do. The room was lit and her eyes teared up in protest of it. As tears from the sunlight fell down onto her pillow, she opened her eyes all the way, not sure if she wanted to move anything else. Her entire body ached, and she wasn't sure she could move any of her body. She opened her mouth, thick from sleep, and took a deep breath. The act caused her throat to hurt horribly, and she quickly closed it again. She tried to move her arms, her shoulders, her head, anything that would move. But it seemed her body didn't want to cooperate with her. 

She finally gave up, the strain causing her head to hurt worse than it already did. She opened her mouth to call for someone, but her throat gave a gagging protest when she tried to make any sound. So Hermione lay there, tears soaking the sides of her pillow from the strain and her eyes staring straight up at the ceiling.

So many thoughts were running through her head. She didn't know how she escaped, she didn't know how long she'd been asleep. She didn't know if everyone was ok, or if anyone had tried to rescue her. In fact, she knew nothing, and that was a fact Hermione was not accustomed to.

She laid there, trying to wrap her brain around things and come up with a logical explanation for why she was hurt so badly and why no one was there for her when she woke up. It was clearly during the day and still, there was no one.

It took almost an hour for someone to actually come in, and that made Hermione more happy than she thought it would. But her happiness faded when she saw it was only Mrs. Weasley. She had been hoping for Remus, or Harry or even Ron to come in to see her first.

"Oh goodness!" the woman exclaimed. "I'm so happy you're finally awake!"

Hermione still hadn't been able to make much noise, so she just scrunched up her face in confusion.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear," the red head apologized. "We were all so very worried about you. You were out for three days afer I found you."

This caused Hermione's face to revert to one of shock, followed by more confusion. Seeing this, Mrs. Weasley took the opportunity to explain how she found Hermione. Hermione now knew why she couldn't move.

"Um, since the wounds you received were from a w-werewolf, they will, um, scar. B-but it shouldn't be bad. Remus said since you were a w-werewolf it would heal m-more than a normal person," the witch stuttered.

Hermione's eyes flew wide with alarm. If she knew, did Harry and Ron know? Is that why they weren't there when she woke up? Is that why they hadn't bothered to check in on her?

Mrs. Weasley nodded in knowing way. "Everyone knows," she said softly. "We told Harry and Ron, and they were just so...so...well, they were upset you hadn't told them. And Harry went around the house shouting at everyone until he finally, um, blurted it out at the dinner table that night." Molly was now wringing her hands in her lap, knowing the pain the young girl was in already. She hated to make it worse, but the girl deserved the truth.

Hermione's eyes teared up with the emotion of her best friends not even coming to see her even if they were mad. She was always there for them, mad or not. She turned her head away from Mrs. Weasley, not wanting to show her emotion in front of her.

Knowing the girl needed to be alone, Mrs. Weasley quietly left the room, ignoring the sobbing sounds Hermione was making.

* * *

Hermione lay in bed for almost two days before she could get up on her own. She was thankful at least that Remus had been there for her. When he came in the first time he had just held her. It made Hermione more happy than she thought she could be when he did that. He held her until they heard the approaching footsteps outside the door. He pulled away and sat in a chair beside her bed as the door opened to reveal Professor McGonagall. 

The Professor had explained Hermione needed to go back to Hogwarts to avoid any other kidnapping attempts. They explained the added protection she would have, and the schedule she would have to stick to strictly until things had calmed down. Hermione had just nodded at the woman, crushed it hadn't been Harry or Ron coming to see her.

After McGonagall had left Remus examined the now mostly healed wounds on her shoulder, neck, and leg. You could barely see any marks on her leg, but the other marks were more visible. A thin line where each claw mark was stretched along her neck and shoulder. When she saw herself in the mirror the first time she cried. There was no hiding them, and she didn't think she wanted to.

Hermione felt the scars were a punishment. A punishment for not telling Harry and Ron, a punishment for betraying her self, and a punishment for the still growing feelings she had for Remus.

Finally the morning came where she would be going back to Hogwarts. She went downstairs that morning for the first time since the attack. She looked around the room and saw Harry and Ron. Both were looking at her like she was the worst person in the world. She suddenly lost her appetite and turned to go back upstairs. The arm around her shoulders from a sneaky Mrs. Weasley made her turn back around.

"Oh no you don't," the older witch said as she led Hermione to a seat too close to Ron. "You need a good breakfast before you head to Hogwarts. It's a long train ride and you need the energy."

As Hermione began eating the pancakes in front of her, she tried to look at Harry and Ron and they both avoided eye contact. The taste of the food turned plain in her mouth and she felt like she was going to empty her stomach on the table. She slowed her eating, trying to control her stomach and throat muscles. The effort made her turn red as a flash of heatovertook her. For a moment she thought she saw concern in Harry's eyes before he turned away from her again. With another bite swallowed, Hermione got up and went upstairs to finish packing, resisting the urge to run.

It was going to be a long train ride to Hogwarts this year.

* * *

Author Babble:

Poor Hermione, EVIL HARRY AND RON! Next update: Erm...sooner than this one.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Never will own it.

A/N: This chapter is nothing but the thoughts of the people on the way to school on the Hogwart's Express. If it dulls you, sorry.

* * *

**Hermione:**

Why is everyone taking this so hard? They never shunned Remus, never got angry with him once they understood who he was, what he was. Why am I so different? Why can't they just accept me for who I am now?

Because you lied to them for the entire summer.

I did not! Ok, well, maybe I did, but that was only because they wouldn't understand!

You know they would have.

No, you see how they're acting now. They would have done the same thing if I'd told them before.

No, they would have accepted you with open arms just like they did Professor Lupin.

But I couldn't tell them. I was too afraid of what I was, of what I would become. I'm not me anymore, and I never will be again. I'm scared of what things lie ahead of me.

That is something you could talk to Harry and Ron about, instead of your own head.

Bugger off, you sound like my mother.

I'm just telling you, they wouldn't have acted to horribly to you if you had told them.

I wasn't ready to face the truth. I wasn't ready to accept the responsibility that I had screwed up. I should have known better than to go out in the dark to see what was making noises outside my house. I should have expected a werewolf, or even an entire group of Death Eaters. I was stupid and I let my guard down. That is not something I do.

Speaking of letting your guard down, what were you thinking when you fell for a man twice your age?

He makes me happy, makes me feel all tingly. Not even Viktor or Ron ever did that. I feel safe when I'm near him, or even think about him. He's mature, handsome, passionate, and he's just like me.

A bookworm?

A werewolf. Someone who knows exactly what I'm going through every month. I feel like he knows me better than I do sometimes.

Would you have even looked at him before you became a werewolf?

* * *

**Harry:**

I really have no reason to be mad at her. She was only scared and confused. She's a girl, they're all like that once a month. How was I supposed to know it was more than normal...girl...stuff. But I should have caught it, I should have forced her to tell me. It's my fault she got taken, my fault I couldn't protect her. I'm the one that's always supposed to be in danger, not her.

I suppose she should be right mad at me by now. I am being a git, and so is Ron. But I can't just go up to her and tell her I'm sorry. It's not an easy thing to tell a girl you're sorry. They all bloody rub it in your face. So I guess I'll let her come to me. Yeah, I'll let her come to me and apologize for not telling me.

That sounds good in theory, but will she actually do it? More than likely not anytime soon. And that is probably a good thing. Give us all a little time to cool off and get used to the fact things are never going to be the same again. Oh I wish things were the same. She should be sitting here with us right now, scolding Ron about something stupid and nudging me in the ribs for laughing at them. This car is supposed to be filled with laughter and playful bickering. This silence is driving me mad. I just want it to go back to normal.

Normal, do I ever get anything normal? I've never had normal by any standards, so what makes this situation so different. It's not fair! I was supposed to have normal. But no, a stupid proplecy make a maniac kill everything I had and condemned me as a baby.

Maybe I should have been the one taken. Maybe Hermione wouldn't be so mad right now. Maybe I should be the one that all the bad things happen to. It would be fitting after all. Trust Harry to get everyone around him in danger. Maybe I should go apologize to her after all. It would make me feel better...or at least I think it would.

Well, maybe that's not such a good idea. Wonder what Ron is thinking?

* * *

**Ron:**

Bloody hell, just when I think I'm up to date on what's going on someone has to go and throw something new in my face. Why did it have to be Hermione? Why did it have to be the one person I care about more than a friend? Now she's so bloody distant and probably pissed off at me that I'll never get a chance to tell her how I really feel. Good going Ron, just blow it all up before it even starts. Way to go.

Hmm...I wonder if the trolley is gonna get here soon. I'm hungry.

Damn, this situation just isn't good. There has got to be a way out of it. Maybe I can just act like it never happened? Naw, she wouldn't fall for that. After all, I was the one that didn't go see her when she was hurt. She always visited me when I was hurt. I'm such a bloody git. It'll be a wonder if she ever speaks to me again.

But I'm not totally wrong. She did keep a secret that could have put me, and all of us in danger. Isn't that a good enough reason for me to be mad at her? Shouldn't that make her come to me and ask for an apology. If I'm lucky, she might give me a hug.

Hermione, apologize for this? Highly unlikely you idiot. She's not going to do that when you've been such a git about it all. It'll be a wonder if she ever wants to be around you again.

Oh I could really go for a Pumpkin Pasty. Where is that woman with the Trolley? My tummy hurts.

Oh no! Did I pack my socks! I think I left my socks!

Hermione would have reminded me I needed socks if I wasn't being so mean. Or if she hadn't kept a secret from me.

Yeah, I have every right to be mad! She lied to me! I have a reason! Yeah, I'm justified.

* * *

**Remus:**

She's just a child you idiot, what the bloody hell were you thinking? You're her teacher now, and she's gonna hate you for what you have to do. You can't have a relationship with a student! What if any other people find out, what if McGonagall finds out. I'd be sacked and she'd be ruined.

But she needs me, I can see it in her eyes. She was so innocent before this and now she's been thrown into a world I now take for granted. She needs someone to take care of her.

That doesn't mean you had to get in her pants.

She asked for it...

That doesn't make it right. Just admit it, you wanted it.

So what if I did? She did too, so I did nothing wrong.

You old pervert, of course you did! She's a child. C-H-I-L-D. Need I spell it out any more than that? That one word will have you thrown out of the little normalness you know.

I don't have any normalcy. She's all I have that ties me to the normal world. And I'm not going to lose that. She's too important to me.

Since when do you get mushy over a child?

She's not a child and you know it. She's more mature than most women are at my age. She's young, she's dependent on me, she's beautiful, she's smart, and she's just like me. She's someone I can share my whole world with.

She's your student.

She's not my student when the moon takes us out of the school for three days a month.

You're going to base a relationship on three days a month?

It's a start.

And what happens when she leaves, like you know she will. Are you ready to pick up the pieces of your heart?

If I have to, yes.

Is she worth that much to you?

Yes.

* * *

Author's Babble:

Did you know that the British word 'bollocks' mean's balls? And if something good happens, they say 'dog's bollocks' (dog balls). What the hell are these people smoking? And gimme some!

Hope you like this. I know a lot of people were left a little wanting as far as emotions and thoughts were progressing. So hopefully this will clarify things a bit. Next chapter will be some time after this one (story time wise). But I do have a deadline of the 31st I plan to meet on the ending.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

A/N: Don't hate me, but I am encountering a bit of Writer's Block. So I have figured out a way around it. I'm going to make this chapter jump in the future a few months. It's now nearing Christmas Break.

* * *

Hermione laid her head down on the desk in her Head Girl dormitory. She was thankful for the dorm to herself, for the peace and quiet surrounding her. There were no students whispering and pointing at her, no friends ignoring her, and no full moon tonight to make her feel restless. For the first time since she started school back, she was somewhat at ease. She knew it wouldn't last. She had been invited back to The Burrow for the holiday vacation starting tomorrow, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to go. Harry and Ron were still avoiding her and she felt more and more horrible about herself every time they did.

Things wouldn't be so bad if it was only Harry and Ron, but the entire school was always talking about her, whispering about her new scars. It was rather amusing to hear some of the stories they concocted about how she got them. Her personal favorite was one she had heard a few days ago. It seemed she was too smart for her own good and went out to capture a cornish pixie and it clawed her and ran away. She almost laughed outloud when she heard the second years spreading that story when she was in the library. Instead of confronting them about it, she told them they should keep it down in the library.

Getting up from her seat she walked over to her halfway packed trunk. Her indecisiveness was to the point she would pack two things and then unpack one. The thought of Remus made her want to go, but the thought of spending the holidays inside a house with Harry and Ron made her want to stay.

She'd thought about it all week, and the only reason she had for going was Remus. He'd been her anchor the entire school year. Everyday she got to see him, got to hear his voice. That was enough. And for three nights a month, he was all hers and she cherished every moment. It was hard to not reach out and touch him when he was close, but she controlled herself, sometimes barely in time. It had been a shock when she was introduced to her final Defense Agains the Dark Arts teacher, Remus. She hadn't expected McGonagall to bring him in for the job, but he was the most qualified. At first she had been angry with him for not telling her, but after the first full moon cycle she was highly grateful he was now going to be around for her.

Eventually the urge to leave the school and it's soon to be empty corridors won out, accompanied with the need to spend more time with Remus and the people that still cared about her. She only wished that list included the two boys who used to be her best friends. Maybe she could corner them and apologize over and over again and they would forgive her. At least she could try to salvage what they had, even if it was never the same again.

* * *

Hermione smiled from ear to ear as she was squished in a hug from Mrs. Weasley. She knew this woman didn't care that she was a werewolf, didn't care she had kept it a secret. And it brought tears to her eyes. As Mrs. Weasley finally let go she felt herself being pulled into another hug by two people.

"So how's our favorite bad girl?" Fred asked as him and George squeezed her. She hadn't expected them to do that.

"Think you could stop by the shop sometime so we can test something?" George whispered in her ear.

Ah ha! There was the catch! There was always a catch. They didn't want to draw the attention of their mother when asking her. She just smiled and nodded to them, watching them give each other a high five before winking at her.

Neither Harry or Ron even looked her way during the short trip to the cozy house. She kept looking over at them, hoping one of them would even glance her way, but neither did. In fact, they looked uncomfortable in her presence. She let out a sigh and walked into the house, glad to be in the familiar setting. She took her bags upstairs to Ginny's room, taking her time before she had to come down again.

To her absolute delight, Remus was already there when she reached the living room. She resisted the sudden urge to plop down in his lap and instead took a seat beside him, startling him from the book he was reading. Hermione grinned as he looked up at her and smiled. This was why she had come back.

* * *

Hermione hadn't remembered having so much fun in a long time. She had been spending an increasing amount of time with Ginny over the vacation. And Ginny didn't care about Hermione's new condition. They had been shopping together, played Quidditch together...ok well, Hermione watched Ginny practice Quidditch from the side lines. She was sad that she hadn't had much time with Remus yet, but Ginny was a pleasant distraction.

She had even gone to the twin's joke shop to see what they wanted from her, even though she knew it was up to no good as usual. She found out they only wanted a hair from her. They were currently perfecting a candy that would make the victi-err, customer grow a werewolf tail for a few hours after eating it. It was rather amusing when both boys had grown tails suddenly. She only hoped there were no other werewolf side effects. Although George had pretended he was craving a raw steak after eating the candy, Hermione knew he was only faking it.

It wasn't until Christmas Eve when Hermione got a chance to get Remus to herself. Everyone was already asleep and she was suffering a bout of insomnia, not related to the moon for once. She snuck downstairs to get something to drink and saw the light from the fireplace flickering on the walls. All thougts of a drink faded away when she saw Remus sitting on the couch, his head leaning back and his eyes closed. A sly grin creeped onto her face as she snuck in as quietly as she could.

From the way he was breathing she could tell he was asleep. That would mean he didn't sense her coming. As carefully as possibly she straddled his legs and sat down on his lap. She rested her palm on his chest, thankful he hadn't woken up yet. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his neck, then one above it and another. Around the time of the third kiss he woke up. His eyes shot open and his head whipped down to see what the hell was going on.

Hermione was pleased to see him smile as he saw her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him before placing a hungry kiss on her lips. Oh god how she had missed this, missed him. She kissed him back with the energy of a hundred missed kisses they never had the opportunity to sneak in the hallways of the school. Her hands found the hair on his neck, tangling in it as his hands gripped her waist tight. She insisted on deepening the kiss, needing him no matter who could walk in on them. She was pleased to feel him responding to her, his hands kneading her thighs now. She moaned into his mouth and almost ripped his shirt off.

That seemed to snap Remus out of his haze and he grabbed her wrists, still out of breath. "We can't do this in here," he said to a very disappointed Hermione.

Picking her up by her waist, he set her on the floor before standing up in front of her. She pouted up at him, a very effective weapon.

"Not here," he said sternly.

Hermione folded her arms across her chest and gave him a look with her eyebrow raised. It was a 'you better find a way' look and she knew she pulled it off well because about 30 seconds later they were stepping out of the fireplace at his house. Well, more like he stepped out carrying a Hermione that was now securely wrapped around him, her legs locked around his waist.

Hermione didn't care if he had problems getting over to the couch, or of settling down without peeling her off of him. The fact was she was attached and she refused to come off, her lips trailing up and down his neck until she could take full advantage of his lips again. It wasn't long before she felt herself being lowered onto the couch, Remus settling on top of her and claiming her lips again.

This is what she had needed, what she had craved.

* * *

Hermione scratched the tangled mop on her head and groaned as Ginny tried to wake her up. Her and Remus had floo'd back early that morning just before sunrise and Hermione hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. It wasn't that she minded that as much as the red head practically beating her over the head with a pillow.

"I'm up, I'm up," she grumbled to get the girl to stop.

"Happy Christmas!" Ginny said as she pointed to the gifts near Hermione's feet.

Hermione cracked her eyes open and examined the packages with interest. She sat up, stretching slowly and lazily, trying to wake the rest of her body up. After an impatient look from Ginny, Hermione crawled to the gifts and examined them.

With a shrug she grabbed the closest one and opened it. It was a fresh set of parchment and quills from Harry. She smiled, tears pooling in her eyes. The next package, a bag of sugar quills, was from Ron. This time the tears spilled down her cheeks. It seemed they did still care about her. Now she didn't feel so stupid for buying them gifts.

The next package was small, and it didn't have a name on it. She slipped it under her covers when Ginny looked away for a moment, hoping it was from who she thought and not wanting to open it in company. Hermione set about opening the rest of her presents, including more candy than she could possibly eat, a skiving snack box from the twins, and a few new sweaters, one compliments of Mrs. Weasley.

After all her gifts were open, save the one she hid, Ginny grabbed Hermione by the arm and practically drug her out the door. Hermione dug her heels into the ground, and held onto the door frame with the other.

"Can I at least put on clothes before I go downstairs?" Hermione asked, trying to go back into the room alone. After all, she was only wearing an oversized shirt and a pair of short shorts.

Ginny let go of her and agreed before heading down the stairs. Hermione turned and went back into the room, closing the door behind her. She ran over to where she hid the gift and pulled it out. Unwrapping it faster than any of the other gifts, she was met with a blue velvet box. She opened it slowly, her heart pounding in her chest. She was met with a silver necklace in the shape of a wolf howling, a ruby encrusted as its eye. It dangled from a thin silver chain and she examined it closer. Underneath the necklace was a note.

"It's platinum, not silver."

That was all it said. With a grin from ear to ear she slipped it on before grabbing something to wear. She ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time. She walked into the kitchen, still smiling. She was met with the entire Weasley clan, less Percy, along with Harry and Remus. The looks on all their faces were of pure shock, except for Remus. He knew why she was so happy as his eyes landed on the thin chain around her neck, the pendant tucked under her shirt.

She sat down next to Remus, the only spot left at the table. She reached under the table and squeezed his leg, a gesture that showed she liked her gift. She received a squeeze on her hand from his, a sign that he liked his. She had gotten him a new briefcase with his initials engraved on it and a werewolf silhouette underneath.

"Thank you," Hermione heard Ron mumble as he turned away from her as she looked over towards him. She just smiled, the tears threatening to flood her eyes again.

"Yes, thank you," Harry said.

"You're welcome, and thank you both," Hermione whispered before sniffling slightly. She wiped her eyes quickly with one hand before starting in on her breakfast, delivered by a beaming Mrs. Weasley.

It looked like things were going to get better, or at least she hoped.

* * *

Author Babble:

Yay! I liked this chapter a lot. I don't know about you guys.

My deadline for this to be finished is tomorrow! EEP!


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